Galilee
was the "wild west" of Palestine, a rough, unruly place with bandits and
revolutionaries wandering about and a population which was considered by the
religious elites in Jerusalem to be uncouth and semi-literate religiously
and infected by the paganism of the area. It was called the "Galilee of the
Gentiles" because there was a large population of Hellenistic pagans mixed
in with the Jews who had only recently begun to resettle a land which had
been devastated by earlier wars.

A rough parallel to what Jesus did when he
walked along the lakeside and summoned his disciples would be if he had
walked down the pain street of Tombstone Arizona and selected the odd cowboy
and merchant and drifter for his band. He certainly did not search for the
best and the brightest of his time, though he probably knew of what the men
would be capable in years ahead. There are, perhaps, more potentially great
men (in the world) than humankind recognizes.

Fr. Greeley's Last Book:

Story:

This is a
story for those who cannot understand why Jesus didn’t use better taste
in
choosing those who would represent him in the world, especially his priests.

One upon a time a
group of boys in their late teens swarmed out on the basketball court on a
Sunday in January when the temperature had risen to fifty degrees, warm
enough to play basketball, right? In t shirts, right? Anyway the outcome of
their games was often determined by the flip of the coin which decided who
would have first chance of choosing sides. The one who lost got the second
and third choice and so on. It was supposed to be fair but it was also
BORING. So this particular day, the kid that had the first choice picked the
worst player in the crowd. Of course his opponent choose the two best
players.

Then our hero choose the second and third worst until
he had chosen the four worst players. These guys think they’re hot stuff
(not his exact word!) he send to his bedraggled team mates. They think
they’re going to mop up the court with us. Lets teach them a lesson. Well,
the other guys were so over confident that they missed their shots and the
poor team beat them 21-10. See, the winning captain whispered to the losing
captain, I am so good I can win with inferior players. So there too. Did
Jesus do the same thing?

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me, uttering slanders against me, my adversaries and
foes, they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war
arise against me, yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may
dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the
beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the
living!
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait
for the LORD!

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Falling into Grace
is a study of Andrew Greeley's fiction and the message behind his words,
revealing many timeless political and theological ideas. Professor R.W.
Carstens shares the findings of his deep exploration into Greeley's novels
as evidence of a set of ancient values and key political ideas that are
needed today more than ever. Editorial
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